Which place is cheaper, Quito or Pisa?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Pisa or Quito?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Should I visit Pisa or Quito? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Where Should I go: Pisa or Quito?
Pisa
Located in Tuscany, Pisa is most famous for its Leaning Tower. The city has a population of about 100,000 people and there are a surprising number of impressive sights that you might miss if you simply pass through to see the tower. There are many architectural and artistic sights that make the city noteworthy as well. The atmosphere of Pisa is also influenced by its university. Of the 100,000 person population, about 60,000 are students. The students bring the city to life with many parties, shows, and interesting cultural events. They stay active into the night and entertainment options are not limited. The student presence is most obvious once you're outside of the touristy Campo dei Miracoli.
Quito
Nestled between two mountain ranges lies the world's highest capital city, Quito, Ecuador. For history lovers, Quito is a very desirable destination as it's home to the Quito Historic Center – one of the largest and best-preserved historic centers in the Americas.
Even though Quito is full of people – in fact, it's the second most populous city in the country – very few of its inhabitants speak English. Luckily, however, the citizens of Quito tend to speak a slower and more clear Spanish than surrounding areas. This is the perfect place to practice what you read in your Intro to Spanish book.
Before visiting Quito, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, give yourself a few days to grow accustomed to the elevation. Staying 9,350 feet above sea level takes some getting used to. Second, don't be fooled into thinking that just because you're visiting a town on the equator that you'll need all your summer clothes. Because of the city's elevation, the area keeps a relatively cool climate year round.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours in Italy, The Best Bicycle Tours in Italy, The Best Adventure Tours to Ecuador, and The Best Eco Tours in Ecuador.
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Pisa Prices
Italy PricesQuito Prices
Ecuador Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayPisa $272Quito $66
The average daily cost (per person) in Pisa is $272, while the average daily cost in Quito is $66. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Pisa and Quito in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personPisa $118Quito $22
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomPisa $236Quito $44
Compare Hotels in Pisa and Quito
Looking for a hotel in Pisa or Quito? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Pisa Hotel Prices and Quito Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Pisa $50Quito $6.99
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Pisa
Also for Pisa, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Florence: Private Transfer from Pisa Airport (PSA): $218
- PRIVATE TRANSFER: from Pisa to Florence with private chauffeur: $116
- Pisa Airport (PSA) to Florence - Arrival Private Transfer: $133
- Pisa Airport (PSA) to Florence - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $266
- Pisa Airport (PSA) to Saturnia - Arrival Private Transfer: $276
- Pisa Airport Transfers, City Transfers and Disposal Services: $76
- Pisa Airport to Florence Private Arrival Transfer: $188
- Pisa Airport(PSA) to Montecatini Terme - Arrival Private Transfer: $256
- Pisa Airport: Transfer to/from Pisa Central Railway Station: $7.66
- Pisa Private Transfer from Pisa Airport to City centre: $126
- Pisa hotels to Livorno Cruise Port - Departure Private Transfer: $141
- Train Transfer from Pisa Airport to San Giusto/Aurelia: $7.66
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Quito
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Quito:
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Taxi from Bus Terminal to Hotel$10
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Quito
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Quito:
- From Quilotoa Lake Private Tour with Transfer & Lunch: $166
- Private Transfer: Quito Airport (UIO) to Baños de Agua Santa: $160
- Arrival Private Transfer Quito Airport UIO to Quito by Minivan: $137
- From Mindo Cloud Forest Day Trip with Transfer: $129
- Panoramic City Tour & Airport Departure Transfer: $114
- Middle of the World Tour with Airport Transfer: $114
- Airport Transfer and City Highlights Tour: $114
- Transfer to Mashpi Amagusa Reserve one way: $109
- Arrival Transfer from Quito Airport UIO to Quito by Sedan or SUV: $105
- Private City Tour & Intiñam Museum Visit w/ Transfer: $89
- Transfer Quito → Papallacta (one way / round trip): $85
- Private Transfer from Quito to Baños de Agua Santa (one way): $80
Is it cheaper to fly into Pisa or Quito?
Prices for flights to both Quito and Pisa change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayPisa $116Quito $34
Typical Food Prices in Pisa
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Pisa:
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Dinner$86
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Pisa
For Pisa, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Dining experience at a local's home in Pontedera with cooking demo: $100
- Dining Experience at a local's Home in Carrara with Show Cooking: $100
- Pisa Private Cooking Class: $105
- Ultimate Food Tour with Full Tuscan Meal with a Local: $105
- Authentic Tuscan Cooking & Dinner with Local Hosts: $106
- Dine & Enjoy a Cooking Demo at Local's Home in Pisa: $116
- Pisa Traditional Food Tour: $140
- Private Home-made Pasta Cooking Class: $153
- Private Pizza & Tiramisu Class at a Cesarina's home with tasting in Pisa: $170
- Hands-On Cooking Class at a Local's Home: $171
- Authentic Full dinner & Wine Experience with a Sommelier in Pisa: $182
- Pisa Private Food tour: Exclusive Local Delicacies: $187
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Quito
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Quito.
- 3 Hours Local Food Tour in Quito: $38
- Guilty Pleasures Walking Food Tours in Quito: $45
- Quito Eats Food Tour with 14+ Tastings: $55
- Quito Kitchens Food Tour with 14+ Tastings: $55
- From Cayambe Traditional Cooking Class with Transfers: $60
- Quito Best Street Food Tour with a Local Guide: $66
- Food Tour in quaint old town with tastings and lunch: $71
- Street Food Tour with Private Transport: $79
- Hidden Gems Food Tour with Cacao Tasting and Culture: $87
- Cooking Class with Chef, Market Tour & Transportation: $88
- Cooking Class with a chef and local market including hotel pickup: $89
- Private Famous Food Tour of Historic Old Town in Quito: $95
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Pisa $49Quito $16
Tours and Activities in Pisa
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Pisa.
- Self-Guided Pisa Tour: Leaning Tower, Cathedral & Old Town: $1.16
- Pisa Scavenger Hunt & Highlights Self-Guided Walking Tour: $2.35
- Pisa Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt: $3.17
- Pisa Tuscany Walking Tour with Audioguide on Your Smartphone: $7.63
- Entry Ticket to Baptistery & Cathedral: $12
- Entry Ticket to Camposanto Monumentale: $12
- Cathedral, Baptistery, Camposanto & Museums Ticket: $16
- Pisa:Piazza dei Miracoli Walking Tour & Leaning Tower Option: $21
- Leaning Tower Pisa Complex Entry Ticket without Tower Climb: $22
- Cathedral Guided Tour & Optional Leaning Tower Ticket: $22
- Pisa Leaning Tower Sunset Experience With Official Entry Ticket: $24
- Camposanto and Cathedral Entry Tickets and Audio Guide: $24
Typical Entertainment Prices in Quito
Here are a few typical costs in Quito for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Entrance to Guyasimine Museum for Two$8.00
Tours and Activities in Quito
Here are a few actual costs in Quito for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- “Adventure in Baths: Waterfalls, End of the World Swing and More”: $190
- 2 Day Quito to Cotopaxi and Quilotoa Tour with Accommodation: $281
- 2 day 1 night tour to Cotopaxi Volcano and Quilotoa Lagoon all included: $280
- 3-Day Adventure: Quito, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Baños, Jungle: $897
- 3-Day Andes Adventure Visiting Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and Baños: $239
- 3-Day Antisana & Amazon comunities, Caves, Baños Guided Tour: $734
- 6-Day Ecuador Heritage Tour: Art, Culture and Otavalo: $1,847
- All-Inclusive Private Mindo Cloud Forest Tour from Quito: $220
- Amazon Adventure: 4 Days of Nature & Culture from Quito: $1,770
- Andean Adventure : Riding and Cotopaxi Refuge: $140
- Antisana Birding Tours to see CONDORS - by Richard Hernandez: $185
- Antisana Volcano Birding & Natural History Condor Tour PRIVATE, all included: $210
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayPisa $23Quito $17
Sample the Local Flavors in Pisa
Also in Pisa, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Wine Tasting with Local Bites in Pisa near the Tower: $55
- Wine Tasting with Local Bites in Pisa near the Tower: $58
- Pisa guided tour and Wine tasting with Leaning Tower ticket: $86
- Cathedral Guided Tour and Tower tickets & wine tasting: $93
- From Pisa or Lucca: Half-Day Tuscany Chianti Wine Tasting: $99
- Vespa Tour with Lunch & 2 Wine Tastings in Chianti: $105
- Tuscan Wine Tour in Pisa by van: $187
- Tuscan Wine Tour by van from Pisa: $187
- Chianti Classico Wine Tour and San Gimignano Visit Half Day: $200
- PRIVATE TOUR: Full-Day in Volterra & San Gimignano with Wine Tasting Experience: $294
- Volterra & San Gimignano with Wine Tasting Private Tour: $943
Typical Alcohol Prices in Quito
Here are a few samples of the prices for alcohol and nightlife in Quito from other travelers:
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Beers for Two$9.00
Sample the Local Flavors in Quito
Also in Quito, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Ecuador Spirit Craft Brewery Tasting and Latitude 0 Private Tour: $155
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Pisa and Quito, we can see that Pisa is more expensive. And not only is Quito much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Pisa is in Europe and Quito is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Quito would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Quito and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Pisa would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Pisa than you might in Quito.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Pisa Expensive? and Is Quito Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Pisa or Quito?
Quito has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Pisa. When comparing the sizes of Pisa and Quito, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.